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Historical Dictionaries

Feme Covert

"Feme covert" is a legal term used to describe the status of a married woman in the colonial period. It means "a covered woman." In practical terms, it meant that married women were legally covered by their husbands and seen as subordinate to their husbands. A married woman could not, other than in rare circumstances, own her own property, make a will, keep any income she earned, or make a contract. The legal term for an unmarried woman, either single or widowed, was "feme sole."" in the glossary.